Ice Spice is happy all her hard work is paying off

Ice Spice put her own spin on New York drill music, but if there’s one artist she loved, it would be Pop Smoke. In an interview with Billboard, she said she was a fan of the late rapper, and credits him for reigniting the drill sound when Bobby Shmurda and Rowdy Rebel were incarcerated.

“I feel like Pop Smoke brought this new life back to it, and I was just obsessed,” Ice says. “He brought a lot of light into New York and definitely paved the way for a lot of current drill rappers.”

Pop’s music encouraged her to befriend producers who could help her make her mark in drill, and she eventually met RIOTUSA, who’s since been her go-to collaborator. Their teamwork is heard on Ice’s EP Like..?, which features “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and “Gangsta Boo.”

Ice also teamed up with Nicki Minaj for the remix to “Princess Diana” and joined Pinkpantheress for “Boy’s a liar Pt.2,” which peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.

“I just want more accolades. I just want to put out more music,” Ice says of her goals. Though she has an interest in acting, she’s currently focused on music, and is grateful for the lessons she’s learned and hard work she’s put in thus far.

“I’m still learning a lot, to be honest,” she says. “But I’m so happy I’ve put in that time and that work — because it’s paying off.”

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